Police find body in search for missing woman

Police searching for a woman who was missing for almost four weeks have found a body.

The body was discovered inside a black vehicle found in undergrowth down an embankment on the A172, at its junction with the A19 near the Cleveland Tontine, on Tuesday evening, North Yorkshire Police said.

Although formal identification has yet to take place, police said they believed the body to be that of Tracey Smith, 57, from Stokesley, who went missing on 24 July.

Police said the road had remained closed for most of the day to allow the scene to be examined and the vehicle recovered - which had taken "longer than usual" due to the location of vehicle. It will reopen later this evening.

The force said: "Our thanks go to members of the public who responded to appeals for help to find Tracey, including the person who called in after noticing a vehicle in the undergrowth."

An investigation will take place to determine how the car came to leave the road.

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